TwiceBitten
by Rebecca1221
Summary: Dimitri is back three years after he had accepted Tasha’s proposal. Can he win Rose back? Story takes place after Dimirti had been restored.
1. 1

He had been replaying this encounter more times then he would give him credit for. Had it really been three years since he had last saw her. Dimitri wasn't sure of the outcome of his endeavors but he had to try. He could not take the toll that it had on him physically mentally, and emotionally. He would hopefully get some answers today.

Dimitri had been to Court many of times. All had been on Guardian business. And well he hadn't quite thrown in the towel on his career, he had been tired of them coming first. He had sacrificed so much and for what? He was unhappy. Simple and plain. He had walked away from Rose three years ago and it hurt everyday. "Love fades, mine has". That was the last thing he had said to her. That had been the biggest lie he had ever told. And with that he accepted Tasha's invite to be her own personal Guardian.

Court had not changed since the last time he had been here. When he was turned from A strigri back into a dhampire, he had his own personal cell. Dimirti shivered at the thought of those memories. He hated to let them in. What he was, what he did. What he said. But he was here now.

Dimitri had made contact with a fellow Guardian named Connor. He had been trained with Dimitri back in the day and he was happy to have a foot in the door. He had asked Connor to meet him in one of the local Pubs to have a drink and go over any new briefing. Because of course they come first. Dimitri was technically on a vacation but there was always work and barely and play.

Dimitri pulled up a seat next to his Guardian companion. Connor looked the same as he had last seen him. Tall and broad. Dark hair almost the same as his. It wasn't as log as Dimirti's. He could almost pass as a relative. He was American. He looked like he could have been pulled straight out of one of Dimirtri's western books.

"Hey Dimirti. It's been forever man. Damn glad to see you brother". Connor grabbed Dimitri's hand and shook it. "Connor, it's great to see you old friend. Thank you for meeting with me".

C: No problem. I will say I was pretty surprised to hear from you.

D: I completely understand. I think most people have written me off.

C: Well it has been a while since you've been around. I head you went off and got you a permanent place with that Ozera lady.

D: Yes, I was positioned with her up until about a month ago.

C: Ahhh. I see. Well did you call me to get you a position at Court? Because I could. I have enough pull that I can get you something.

D: Perhaps. The reason I contacted you was. Well honestly. I need you to get me an invited to Court. I'm on vacation and I need to do some things here.

C: Gotcha. Then you go back to your Guardianship?

D: No..

That's all Dimitri said. A simple no. But with some much emotion behind it. He was not going back to Tasha. He was here to lay it all out. He was here for her. For Rose. He had made a mistake last time. He knew as soon as he walked away from her. He was going to fix it.

C: Ok. Well I can get you a pass as my guest. That will last a week without any extensions. Hopefully that will give you time to do what you need to do.

D: That's great Connor. Thank you for doing this for me.

C: I do have a question though.

D: I would be concerned if you didn't my friend.

C: What is it that you have to do?

With a smirk and a low laugh

D: Get my girl back.

Conner's face looked at Dimirti in confusion. Connor went to take a drink of his beer.

D: Do you know Rose Hathaway?

C: Can't say that I do.

Dimitri now looks confused..

D: That's strange. She is positioned her with Princess Vasilissa Dragomir.

Connor spits his beer once he realized the connection. Very pointedly he replied.

C: You mean Rose Mazur.

It wasn't a questioned. He knew that who he meant.

Dimirti was confused. Why would she be going by her father's name now. All Dimirti could do is shake his head in agreement.

C: All I can say is good luck. You're going to need it.

Connor then took a huge drink of what now looked like a glass of vodka.

Dimirti wanted to push for more information but he would soon find out for himself.

He too needed something stronger. There were things that Dimirti didn't know. And for the first time that he set out on his mission, he was scared. He might fail.


	2. 2

"Good luck." That's all that Dimirti could think of. Yes he would indeed need luck to pull this off. He knew he would have to fight for Rose. To show her that he messed up. And if he had to spend the rest of his life making it up to her. He would. What kept flashing through his mind was that she no longer went by the name Hathaway. Dimitri was surprised that Connor didn't know her by that name. Hell, he thought, everyone would have known of her, really. She staked many Strigoi. Went into battle to defend her school and her friends. Dimitri had not kept up on Rose's activities in the past years. It hurt to much to see what he had left behind. Rose was the only novice he had heard of that not only killed one Strigoi but two. She had earned two molnija marks before she had even received her promise mark. The fact that Connor didn't have anymore information about Rose worried him. Maybe, Connor simply did not really know Rose. "That's not likely," Dimitri thought. Rose was unforgettable.

There was often only one place to stay at Court for a Guardian or Dhampir. They offered special housing for those that were not positioned with their own Moroi. Mostly the guards stayed in those lodgings. Connor had met Dimirti at the main office so they could fill out all appropriate paperwork. He had to make sure that everything was in order. He was here for the long hull. Just as the receptionist had asked Dimirti for one last signature, he saw a tall figure out of the corner of his eye. The man had had his back turned already towards the exist but Dimirti knew who it was immediately. Adrian Ivashkov. The only person he could think of not wanting to see. The fact that he was here at Court and in the proximity of Rose made his chest tighten. Adrian had not been bad for Rose. In retrospect Adrian had helped Rose tremendously when he couldn't. When Dimirti was Strigoi. The thought made his blood run cold. Rose had dated him briefly and as far as Dimirtri had heard they had broken up. Unfortunately that was the last information he had on Rose. Then Dimirti had a thought. His eyes got a bit bigger with the realization. Dimirti had to not heard anything about Rose Hathaway. But he hand't been inquiring about Rose Mazur. It had hit him like a ton of bricks. The reason Rose didn't go by Hathaway. She didn't want to be known. She didn't want to be found.

Adrian still had his back towards Dimirti but was not making much progress to get through the doors. Guardians and Moroi alike were biding him hello. Shaking his hand. Patting him on the back. Some, Dimirti heard, were even offering him their congratulations. Dimirti stared blankly at him from behind. Dimitri didn't even notice when Adrian had turned around facing him. Adrian now stood in front of him with more of a smirk than a smile. "Belikov? Is that you"? Dimirti now caught off guard, he stumbled through his acknowledgment. Dimirti took a deep breath. "Here goes everything." he thought. "Hello, Adrian. I was wondering if you have happen to know where Rose is"? Dimirti could see the lines on Adrian's face lift into a smile. The smiled seemed to hold a lot. Dimirti could see curiosity. Adrian then raised a quizzical brow. "Oh, she's around here some where". And with that Adrian turned and let a small laugh, which Dimirtri thought more for himself then him. And then Adrian walked away. "What the Hell was that about"? Dimitri thought.


	3. Chapter 3

Even if you were on vacation, you're still on duty. Dimirti knew that at some point during his stay that he would be asked to guard someone or some event. He was actually surprised that he had barely settled in his room before a letter had come for him. The Guardian that delivered looked at Dimirti with caution. Either the letter contained bad news, like his stay had already be revoked. Maybe it's a threat from Adrian, Dimitri thought. Or possibly the deliverer recognized the name. Many people, Guardians, Moroi, Alchemist, all looked at him with some sort of fascination. The man who came back from the dead, the former Strigoi. Dimirti thanked the man for the letter and shut the door slowly, still watching him. Dimirti wasn't sure if he was ready for what the letter contained. Perhaps it was a letter from Rose, telling him to go away and leave her be. He deserved that. He deserved so much more than that.

About one hour had passed before he finally conjoured up the courage to open the letter. Slowly he unfolded it. Dimirti could feel that writing on his skin. Like the writer had pushed the pen to the paper to hard. Which meant the writer was angry or in a hurry. Maybe both. The letter was now in full form in front of him. It read,

Guardian Dimitri Belikov,

Your presence is requested tomorrow evening promptly at 2pm Moroi time. You will be in attendance with the Guardians that have been assigned to the Equinox Ball. Please meet with Guardian Connor Thomas to finalize your posting. Any questions will also go through Guardian Thomas. Also, please note this is a recommendation from Queen Tatiana Ivashkov.

Guardian Sam Undertow

This is not the kind of vacation he had had in mind. Yes, he knew at some point he would likely to be called upon. The Dhampir numbers were staggering low. In fact in the animal world they would probably be considered an endangered species. In the last ten years most of the Dhampir women chose not to reproduce with Moroi men. Strangely this gave Dimirti some small glimpse of hope. Rose would not tie herself up with a Moroi. In fact, she had always hated that it was their duty to procreate. Rose wanted to be a guardian, not a mother. No thanks to her own absent mother. How much could really change in three years?

Dimirti's phone chimed. He had really expected it to be Tasha. Begging. No, pleading for his return. But as he looked down at the screen with the back and white rose screensaver, he noticed an unknown number. The message just read: Drinks?

Inquisitively Dimirti tried to question the senders identity. He only came away with a reply that stated that he would see. Intrigued at the possibilities he simply replied, yes. The next chime came with a name of the location. Suite One. A well known drinking establishment located on the outskirts of Court. Dimitri was sure he knew who the message was from. Rose. He got dressed quickly and made his way to the Suite One.


End file.
